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A life long cinephile from the Bay Area in Northern California. Aside from having written for various outlets since 2019, I've been podcasting since 2020.
(Currently Co-Hosting the Geekly Goods Roundup)
When I'm not indulged in a ridiculous amount of media consumption or losing track of days on my Nintendo Switch, I can be found at concerts or playing basketball.
As someone who literally grew up playing the Super Mario Bros. games, it’s hard not to be instantly delighted from the very first frame. The Super Mario Bros. Movie has been a long time coming but is definitely worth the wait for die-hard fans. There is a live-action film that premiered in 1993, but unfortunately, that was met with a mostly negative reception. Interestingly enough, a large part of the success of this incarnation shares a very similar set-up as the 1993 film.
Real World Plumbing
We kick things off in Brooklyn where our protagonists Mario (voiced by Chris Pratt) & Luigi (voiced by Charlie Day) try to make a living as plumbers. Grounding things in a normal reality brought things home and served as a welcome contrast to the colorful, chaotic worlds to come. The film also introduces a huge family that the brothers live with — a family that unfortunately sees their occupation as more of a punchline than a career. It’s nice to see the Super Mario Bros. actually perform plumbing duties, a trait that I also enjoyed from the 1993 film.
Following the background and initial character introductions, the Mario brothers begin working on a massive pipeline leak that is flooding the city. They stumble upon a mysterious hidden chamber where one particular pipe sucks them into the magical Mushroom Kingdom. Again, this setup is not terribly different from the live-action film which was very surprising to see. Albeit, the execution was much sharper this time around.
Visually Stunning
The absolute best thing about The Super Mario Bros. Movie is the gorgeous, immaculately detailed visuals. You can see the fibers on Mario’s hat or the denim on the Mario Brothers’ overalls. The beautiful colors pop throughout the journey as we see the jungle where Donkey Kong (voiced by Seth Rogen) dwells and the fiery domain of Bowser (voiced by Jack Black). In addition to the amazing look of the film, there are also plenty of fun Easter Eggs to keep an eye out for. As a fan, it was so much fun to spot and find these different references to the source material.
Hats off to Illumination for successfully bringing these fantastical worlds to life. The steampunk, gritty take from the 1993 film was interesting but definitely did not feel like the game that fans fell in love with. Nailing this aspect 30 years later was key for The Super Mario Bros. Movie to succeed. Illumination is definitely up to the task and the results speak for themselves.
The All-Star Cast Shines
The Super Mario Bros. Movie boasts a hilarious and fun cast that all get their chance to shine. Seth Rogen was an inspired choice for Donkey Kong. Hearing his trademark giggle through Donkey Kong’s big goofy smile had me cracking up. Despite initial fan concerns, Chris Pratt brought an earnest and likable quality to Mario. Going with a New Yorker accent over the heavy Italian one from the game worked very well. From Guardians of the Galaxy to Jurassic World and now The Super Mario Bros, I think it’s safe to say that Chris Pratt is a bona fide star. One that can definitely carry a franchise.
Charlie Day and Keegan-Michael Key were great as Luigi and Toad respectively, but Jack Black is the MVP as Bowser.
Black’s manic energy and rock-star flair was perfect for the big bad turtle. Giving Black a ballad to show off his amazing rock n’ roll singing voice was outstanding. The song has done so well that amidst early Oscar buzz for Best Original Song, it also charted on the Billboards. I was laughing out loud and I honestly could not get the tune out of my head. It’s safe to say I might never say “Peaches” normally again.
A Generational Icon
The Super Mario Bros. Movie is currently the box office king of 2023. Holding down the #1 spot with a whopping $2 Billion worldwide gross is incredible and well-deserved. The Super Mario video game franchise is widely popular and that has translated to the big screen as well. It speaks to parents/adults that played the original 1985 game in the arcade or at home on the NES. There are kids and teens that currently play Super Smash Brothers, Mario Kart, or Mario Party on Nintendo Switch. Perhaps there are parents that play all of those with their children. The Super Mario Bros. Movie is truly a film for everyone and one that everyone can enjoy together as a family.
Banking on the popularity and star power of Super Mario is one thing, but also crafting a good film to capture that magic is another. The Super Mario Bros. Movie accomplished this wonderfully.
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A life long cinephile from the Bay Area in Northern California. Aside from having written for various outlets since 2019, I've been podcasting since 2020.
(Currently Co-Hosting the Geekly Goods Roundup)
When I'm not indulged in a ridiculous amount of media consumption or losing track of days on my Nintendo Switch, I can be found at concerts or playing basketball.
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